Media Studies: Media, Sport, and Culture

***This syllabus is also available via PDF, HERE.

Course Description
This course will critically analyze the dynamic relationship between sports, the media and culture in which we live. We will discuss historical overviews of the sport and media industries, the economics of sports media, and how sports media creates “identities” within a culture. We will examine race and ethnicity as it relates to sports media. Finally, we will analyze the impact of technologies upon the sporting world.

Required Texts
David Rowe, Sport, Culture and the Media (Second Edition)
Various additional readings

Course Requirements and Evaluation
Reflection Papers (2): 15% each = 30% total
Major Paper: 40%
Consumer’s Reflection: 20%
Class Participation: 10% total

Consumer's Reflection
One of the goals of this course is to demonstrate that we are all consumers of sport, in various ways. Without the media, however, the consumption process would be very different, and probably very tedious. Your assignment is to either a) take time out of your day to consume sport (this can be in many different forums: attending a game, watching a game, participating in an online game, or others); or b) watch others participate in similar style. Then, observe what happens:

1. Describe the event, where it takes place, what you think it means to our culture, the significance.
2. Who is participating? What does it say about them? Do stereotypes arise?
3. And last, describe the media that may or not be involved. This may seem difficult depending on what your activity is, but media is present somewhere. How is media consumed?

Response Papers
You will write two (2) response papers, each at the conclusion of the “Politics of Sports Media” and “Media, Sport, Identity” units. You will likely agree and disagree with the topics at hand. You may be angered by some discussion. Defend a central thesis, one that came up in class but we did not elaborate on it.

Major Paper
This paper is based upon your own choosing. The paper should be based upon some aspect of media, sport and culture, and preferably the correlation of the three themes.

***The course schedule is available HERE.